The Way Station
by suzie2b
Summary: The Rat Patrol is on escort duty again.


**Disclaimer:** _ **The Rat Patrol**_ **is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.**

 **The Way Station**

 **By Suzie2b**

 **Escort duty. Not the Rat Patrol's favorite thing, but one that needed to be done on occasion. The Germans had been active in the area the convoy was passing through and Captain Boggs wanted the best to get the supplies to the battalion that was waiting for them.**

 **It was nearly noon on day two. They should've reached their destination before now, but one of the trucks was having a problem and the convoy had to stop. While several of the men were trying to find the problem and fix it, Charley wandered a few yards away to sit in the shade of the hill they were stopped next to. She sat on a large rock and pulled an ever-present book out of her satchel. It took a bit to find it though, as it was buried beneath the three sealed packages she was delivering.**

 **Charley had been sitting there for about fifteen minutes when a jeep pull up in front of her. She smiled as she looked at Moffitt and Tully. "How's it going?"**

 **Tully smiled at his wife as he said, "They found the problem. Should be fixed in ten minutes or so."**

 **Moffitt said, "Might be best if you get back to your truck. We haven't had any problems, but…"**

 **That's when they heard a crack. Moffitt, Tully, and Charley looked to see that one of the drivers had gone down. Another shot brought down another as the men started to scramble.**

 **Moffitt quickly climbed into the back as Tully yelled, "Charley, get in!"**

 **She jumped into the jeep as a bullet ricocheted off the rock she'd been sitting on and Tully started to pull away.**

 **The bullets had come from the top of the hill the convoy had stopped next to. Moffitt scanned the area above them as Tully stopped next to the truck Charley was riding in and said, "Stay here! Keep your head down!"**

 **As bullet after bullet bounced off the trucks, Tully sped away. Moffitt finally spotted several heads among the rocks and scrub at the top of the hill and opened fire with the 50. The gunfire stopped.**

 **That's when Hitch sped between hills with Troy in the back firing his 50 at the German patrol on their tail. Tully quickly maneuvered the jeep to flank the patrol, giving Moffitt a good target to aim at.**

 **However, what the Rat Patrol didn't know was a second patrol was moving in on the convoy from the opposite direction. Try as they might to fend off the Germans as they surrounded the trucks, it was soon evident that they were going to be captured. But not without a fight.**

 **As the shooting continued and the commander of the German patrol ordered the Americans to surrender, Charley felt a searing pain in her side. She gasped as she dropped to the ground and managed to crawl under the truck before she passed out.**

 **##################**

 **Not realizing what had happened with the convoy, Troy, Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully were surprised to find only two of the six trucks still where they'd left them. Both were smoldering from the attack.**

 **Moffitt said with some disgust, "There must have been another column. While we led the other away the convoy was attacked from the other side."**

 **As Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch checked bodies for signs of the life, Tully ran to the truck he'd left Charley at. Thick black smoke rose from the engine compartment as he searched the cab and then the back. When he finally got down on his hands and knees to check underneath the truck all he saw was the strap of Charley's satchel next to one of the front wheels.**

 **As Tully pulled the satchel out from under the truck, Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch joined him. Troy asked, "Any sign of Charley?"**

 **Tully stood up and shook his head. "Just her satchel. Anyone left alive?"**

" **The six we found are dead."**

 **Moffitt said, "That means the other five and Charley were taken prisoner."**

 **Hitch noticed blood on Tully's hand. "Hey, are you okay?"**

 **Tully looked at the blood on his hand. "It's not mine." He looked at the satchel he was holding and paled as he saw the blood on it. "Charley must've been hurt and crawled under the truck."**

 **Troy frowned. "She was alive when they took her or they would've left her here."**

 **Tully looked inside the satchel. "The stuff Charley was delivering is still here. She must have managed to push her satchel behind that wheel before they found her."**

 **Hitch pointed at some tracks in the sand and said, "Looks like they went back the way they came."**

 **Moffitt looked at the direction the Germans had gone. "I think I know where they're going." He walked quickly to the jeep with the others close behind. Moffitt quickly checked a map, then gave a nod and said, "There's a German way station about eighty kilometers west of here. That's the direction they're heading."**

 **Troy said, "It would make sense for them to stop there for the night. They'd be able to secure the prisoners." He looked at Tully. "I'm going to make a call to Captain Boggs to let him know what's happened. Then we're going to get our people back."**

 **##################**

 **The German column and four American trucks were arriving at the station as Troy and his men caught up to it. All they could do was watch as the gates opened, then closed after the last vehicle entered.**

 **Tully sighed. "These types of places aren't normally heavily defended. We should be able to get in there."**

 **Troy nodded. "We will—as soon as it gets dark."**

 **They waited and watched as the sun went down and the half-moon rose, turning the scene indigo with black shadows.**

 **When Troy gave the signal, Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully followed him across the short expanse of desert to the wall surrounding the station. Two grappling hooks with ropes were used to get them up onto the wall and then down the other side.**

 **The station was centered around one large building that was apparently used for everything from headquarters to housing. A smaller building next to it was used for supplies. Guards were scarce. They only saw two as they made their way to the motor pool, where they found the four missing trucks. After checking to be sure they were empty, Troy, Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully set off for the large building. From their hiding place they could see two guards standing at a very conspicuous door.**

 **Moffitt whispered, "I'd wager that leads to where Charley and the others are being held."**

 **Troy nodded. "Tully, you and Hitch get those guards attention."**

 **It wasn't a difficult task. The two privates stepped out of the darkness into a pool of moonlight. When the guards saw them, they were a little slow to react, as if they thought their eyes were playing tricks in the dark. Then they both stepped away from wall on either side of the door and one said, "Die Waffen fallen und legte ihre Hände!"**

 **Tully cocked his head to one side questioningly. "What'd he say?"**

 **Hitch smiled slightly. "Taking a guess I'd say he wants us to drop our guns. Maybe even put our hands up."**

" **Well, that ain't gonna happen."**

 **That's when Troy and Moffitt stepped up behind the guards and hit them with the butts of their machine guns. With the guards out of the way and a key to the door found, the four of them went silently inside.**

 **Two cells were there. The first held the five missing soldiers. Troy quietly pulled back the latch and opened the door. Then he put a finger to his lips as three sets of eyes looked straight at him. Troy and Hitch went inside to check on them.**

 **Not seeing Charley anywhere, Tully went to the next cell and looked inside. He then nudged Moffitt and signaled he was going in. Tully quickly moved to the cot and inspected the wound in Charley's side. It was covered by a blood soaked bandage. He put his hand on her forehead and she opened her eyes. "Shh, I'm gonna get you outta here." She slowly nodded her understanding and he scooped her into his arms.**

 **As he exited the cell, Tully heard Troy whisper to Moffitt, "Two of them are in bad shape." He looked at Charley, then at Tully. "How bad?"**

" **She hasn't had any real medical attention. She's lost a lot of blood and needs a surgeon."**

" **We can't carry all three of them over the wall and back to the jeeps."**

 **Moffitt nodded. "The motor pool?"**

 **Troy said, "Yeah. You and Tully get everyone to one of our trucks and wait. Hitch and I will cause a little mayhem to help get us out of here."**

 **Once they were outside, Hitch followed Troy while Moffitt led the way to the motor pool.**

 **##################**

 **Troy and Hitch found an unlocked window at the back of the supply depot. Once inside they quickly found the munitions and supplies that had been unloaded from the American trucks. All they needed was fuses and a detonator.**

 **Hitch searched and located TNT, detonator cord, and timed detonators. He took half and set it up between the shelves of German ammunition, while Troy put the rest in with the American supplies. Timers were set for five minutes and they slipped out of the supply depot to head for the motor pool.**

 **However, a minute later they were spotted by a German guard. Shots were exchanged and the guard fell dead. Alarms were wailing as Troy and Hitch reached the motor pool and quickly found the chosen truck where Moffitt waited outside.**

 **Troy yelled, "Hitch, you drive!" He and Moffitt got into the back with the others. "Let's go!"**

 **As the truck started to pull out, the supply depot exploded. Suddenly, there was mass confusion. Troy, Moffitt, and Tully were firing their machine guns out the back of the truck at anything that moved. The Germans didn't know if they should chase the escaping truck or fight the fire that now raged in their supply depot. By the time command got things under control, the truck had barreled through the gates.**

 **There was a futile attempt by the Germans to chase the escapees down, but the truck quickly disappeared into the night. When they reached the jeeps, they paused long enough to check the map for a field hospital. Then one of the uninjured ex-prisoners took over the driving of the truck while Troy and Hitch drove the jeeps. Moffitt and Tully stayed with the truck to do what they could for the wounded.**

 **##################**

 **When they reached the nearest field hospital the sun was a bright yellow ball just above the horizon. One of the two injured men had died before they got there. Charley and the other injured man were taken into surgery. The three others were checked over by doctors and released to go get some rest.**

 **Troy, Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully waited in the mess tent for word about Charley. Tully stared at his mug of coffee silently. The front of his shirt was covered in her blood from when he was carrying her.**

 **Hours passed with quiet small talk between Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch. Then Troy sat down next to the private with a fresh mug of coffee to replace the one that had gone cold in front of Tully. "You okay?" The young man nodded silently. "A message was just delivered. Looks like Charley's going to pull through."**

 **Moffitt and Hitch sat down across from them as Tully brought his head up and sighed. "Guess that means I can start breathin' again."**

 **Moffitt smiled a bit. "She's in recovery. You'll be able to see her soon."**

 **Early that afternoon, after taking some time to shower and put on a clean shirt, Tully was sitting next to Charley's cot when she opened her eyes and looked at him groggily. He kissed her knuckles and smiled as he said, "Hi."**

 **Charley managed a wane smile as she squeezed his hand slightly. "Hi yourself."**

" **How're you feeling, sweetheart? Any pain?"**

 **Charley slowly shook her head. "They must've given me the good stuff. Just feel sleepy."**

 **Tully bent and kissed her forehead. "Good."**

" **What about my delivery?"**

" **Captain Boggs is sending James out with another convoy. They'll pick it up and finish the mission with a fresh escort."**

" **Okay."**

 **Tully brushed his fingers against her cheek. "You just rest. We'll get you transferred home in a few days."**

 **Charley's eyes slid closed as she said quietly, "Don't wanna go home. Wanna stay with you."**

 **Tully thought, "I wish I could send you home." But he just smiled and said, "Home is wherever we are together."**

 **Charley's voice was barely a whisper when she said, "Pinky swear?"**

 **Tully gently took her hand and hooked his little finger around hers. "I swear."**

 **Charley opened her eyes with some effort and smiled slightly. "Love you."**

 **Tully smiled back. "I love you, too. Now I want you to sleep. I'll stick around a while longer."**

 **Charley's eyes closed again and her hand went limp in his as she drifted into dreamless sleep.**


End file.
